The tendency for government activity to be channeled through agencies that are separate from the “classic” organization of the civil service continues to flourish. Companies, corporations established by specific legislation or authorities continue to be considered as flexible tools by which a desired action programme can be implemented effectively without having to follow burdensome “unnecessary” regulations.
On the other hand, civil service rules are supposed to ensure correct approaches in dealing with issues plus presumably a sense of responsibilty when major decisions are being reached. For with time, some agencies have come to look like nothing better than screens for the minister under whose aegis they operate. Others seem to have been established without a statute, legal personality or clear structure. They are launched more as if they are intended to serve as a label covering an exercise that is being planned, than as part of a given organizational strategy.
This is wrong. Any kind of governmental initiative should be carried out from beginning to end in a way that ensures accountability. The times when such aa approach is sidelined should be a very rare exception, not a normal way of conducting government business. It is also the case though that more than once, it has transpired that even government departments are not following the regulations by which the civil service is supposed to operate.
***
NATURAL DISASTERS
The enormous scale of the destruction and deaths in Turkey and Syria has again highlighted how man, despite the technological breakthroughs which seem to have given him/her supreme control over this planet, is still in a situation of total fragility when disasters strike from within the natural environment where we live. This completely contradicts the assumption that man has full control over the environment.
The Turkish and Syrian peoples have suffered tremendously and it will take years for them to recover. Naturally nothing can help to compensate the scores of thousands who have lost their loved ones.
In all this, the statement that should have created most concern about the future emphasized how as of now, science cannot predict with any precision when, where and how the next earthquake can develop.
***
THE MALTESE IN EUROPE
Frequently, I remain with the impression that although we have been members of the EU for twenty years, many are still uninformed in concrete terms about how their way of life and what they do will be affected by ongoing EU matters. This doesn’t just apply to “common” citizens, but also to social, business, cultural and professional associations, not to mention governmental entities.
The truth is that decisions taken by the Union have an impact on life in the island, sometimes a very important one. With time, the reach of such decisions is widening steadily. In part this is happening because increasingly, the issues that emerge in a globalised world cannot be satisfactorily dealt with purely on a national basis. In part it is also happening because, depsite all that is said to the contrary, the EU is an organization that is seeking to expand its powers. To make matters worse, the processes by which its tasks are implemented can be very complicated.
Maltese and Gozitan decision-makers need to get a better grip on this aspect of EU membership.